welding training. Before this training, The key, he says, is providing training Rosano’s luck turned around
the program provides two weeks of that leads directly to a well-paying job when he joined Washington’s sec-
transitional training to help returning with career potential. He has worked ond VIP class. “A friend of mine was
veterans adjust to civilian life. closely with Camp Pendleton, Calif., processing out [of the Army], and
The training is free to veterans where they implemented the UA VIP he heard about VIP in the transi-
through the UA. Washington state was program on base this past spring and tion program. We applied together.
fi rst to support the program in its pilot allow separating Marines to begin Over the 16-week program, I took
phase and has graduated three classes, their training while still on active duty. welding classes and completed an
putting more than 1,000 veterans on “The only way employment programs apprenticeship. I work as a pipefi t-
the job and in the union. Caulfi eld for veterans will work is if they pro- ter at a Seattle steam plant. I make
says the program can serve as a model vide a skill, a mentor, a network, and a more than I did when I was in the
for other states and other professions. connection,” says Caulfi eld. Army. The job is not as stressful as
the Army, but the discipline is still
there. ... I work eight-hour days, and
I don’t have to do push-ups if my
shirt isn’t tucked in. I have personal
time, and I’m thinking of taking
some classes at a community col-
lege,” says Rosano.
In developing the VIP program,
the UA motto is, “It’s the right thing
to do.” That seems to be a growing
sentiment across the country. As the
war on terrorism continues, with
no end in the foreseeable future,
there is a recognition developing
among federal and state agencies,
From Officer to Civilian
After a 20-or-more-year career as a military leader, military officers have
management skills that easily are transferred to jobs in the civilian world.
“But no matter ... how many years of service you have, [retiring from the
military] is a major life transition [that] means leaving the security of what
you know and stepping into uncharted territory,” says Col. Dick Crampton,
USA-Ret., director of MOAA’s The Officer Placement Service (TOPS).
Through TOPS, retiring military officers have access to career fairs,
résumé critiques and postings, personal counseling, exclusive job list-
ings, networking and mentoring assistance, and the “Marketing Yourself
for a Second Career” lecture.
When military leaders embark on a civilian career for the first time, they
sometimes can have a rocky start, says Emily King, founder and director
of My Military Transition. “Shifting gears can be hard, especially when it
comes to letting go of the military persona and status,” says King.
“According to research I’ve done, retiring military leaders are highly
sought after,” King says. “But once on the job, human resource profes-
sionals often report they have an inability to let go of the military way of
doing things.” King’s advice to retired officers starting their first civilian
job: “Go in with the assumption that there is a whole lot you don’t know.
Prepare to feel like a beginner. And bring some humility and humor.”
To learn more about TOPS, visit
www.moaa.org/tops.
NOVEMBER 2009 MILITARY OFFICER 59
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